Time Pieces

by Virginia Hamilton

The last book from Newbery Medalist Virginia Hamilton, this autobiographical novella brings together the slave past and multi-generational present life of a young girl in Ohio.

A quietly beautiful coming-of-age story from a master storyteller. Eleven-year-old Valena lives in both the present and the past as she struggles with racism in her daily life and listens to and learns from her mother’s tales of her family's proud history. Moving backward and forward in time, these pieces of Valena's life blend to form an extraordinary portrait of the ties that bind her family together over generations.
Virginia Hamilton has deftly woven together moments in one family's history into a seamless and poignant masterpiece.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Historical, Middle Grade, African American, Young Adult

208 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Virginia Esther Hamilton was the author of forty-one works of fiction and nonfiction. She was the first Black writer awarded the Newbery Medal and the first children's writer to be named a MacArthur Fellow (the "Genius" grant). She also received the National Book Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Medal.

Reviews

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

We listened to this as an audiobook in the car. I liked it more than the kids did, but I think they still got a lot out of it. The style is very poetic, blending the past and the present, with lots of descriptive passages about strange weather (the aurora borealis, a tornado) and the African slave experience. The main character, Valena, is a naive, curious girl of about 10 or eleven, and the story is told through her eyes.

[Megan Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

It felt long for its length, the stories were mostly dull, and I had a difficult time with suspension of disbelief (an eleven-year-old in Dayton, Ohio who doesn't know what a tornado is or what the signs are? Really?). Some of the chapters might be good for looking at language, but overall, I wouldn't recommend this.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each chapter reads as it's own vignette, which is confirmed at the end of the book. Ms. Hamilton combined some of her childhood experiences with that of her young heroine. Valena the main character is really naive so much so that i thought she was a lot younger then she turns out to be. This isn't one of Ms. Hamilton's best but I enjoyed it.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book I READ at the beginning of the school year if you like more advantce books this is a nice book to read I loved this book

[S10_Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

For grades 2-6, audio CD

[Madlyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay book

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seemingly disjointed at times, but the last chapter brings everything together. I feel a child would become confused easily. Wish I knew going on it was semi autobiographical, as that somewhat changed my perspective. Cw: death of an animal

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story of changes and tellings, which were choppy with incomplete sentences. This took me a long time to read.

[Beth Filar Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable short stories by Hamilton 3.5 lower only because I've enjoyed some of her other looks a lot better

[Gerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Virginia Hamilton book. I enjoyed hearing the stories but I had expected something different from the description.